What We Promise
- To work with you in defining what your journal should be
- To stay informed of global trends in scholarly publishing and share them in a clear, actionable way
- To enhance the quality and value of your journal
Through our work with many journals, we realized one major issue:
There are very few consultants with whom editors can discuss scholarly publishing or journal management, and almost no way to access comprehensive, up-to-date information. Editors often rely on fragmented anecdotes—such as “this journal did it this way”—to make strategic decisions, which frequently results in practices that diverge from international standards.
To provide appropriate and reliable services in such an environment, we have made it our priority to gather information proactively.
As professionals in journal management, we have supported the growth of numerous journals.
Drawing on the expertise we have developed, we founded Seekl, a consulting team whose mission is to elevate the quality and value of all journals.
Seekl provides consulting services designed to help journals operate at a truly global standard.
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Seekl Journal Manegement Consulting
Tel: +81 3-3918-5005
Email: info@seekl.jp
Our Services
Journal Launch Consulting
Our Journal Launch Consulting service provides comprehensive support for establishing a new journal by leveraging our expertise and experience in journal management.
We identify all essential components required for launch and develop a plan that follows international best practices while anticipating the long-term goals of the journal after its launch.
In addition to supporting new journals, we also assist in the renewal and restructuring of existing titles.
Services include:
- Supporting independent, society-driven publishing without reliance on commercial publishers
- Transitioning from a Japanese-language journal to an English-language journal
- Full operational and editorial board support after launch
Journal Assessment
A Journal Assessment is a comprehensive evaluation of your journal’s current status.
Our specialist consultants carefully analyze strengths and weaknesses from three perspectives—visibility, brand, and submission environment—and recommend the most suitable growth plan.
With an eye toward indexing in international databases and improving impact factor, we begin by accurately assessing your journal’s potential through this diagnostic process.
Services include:
- Evaluation of the journal’s current status
- Proposal of a target-achievement plan
Strategic Partnership
A Strategic Partnership is a consulting plan in which we work closely with the editorial board or academic society toward long-term goals, accompanying you throughout the entire process.
By providing continuous analysis, strategic advice, and progress management, we significantly increase the likelihood of achieving your objectives.
Examples of support within a Strategic Partnership include:
- Consulting-based Editorial Office operations
- Implementation of the ScholarOne Manuscripts submission and peer-review system
- Advisory services for journal management
- Transition from overseas publishers
- Enhancement of journal impact
- Improvement of the peer-review process
Enhancing Journal Impact
We support the improvement of your journal’s scholarly impact, represented most visibly by citations.
From public relations activities that create citation opportunities to the acquisition and improvement of citation-based metrics—including the Journal Impact Factor—we provide comprehensive assistance.
Based on meticulous data analysis, we develop a fully tailored strategy and support its execution.
Services include:
- Journal impact analysis
- Acquisition of the Journal Impact Factor
- Development of citation enhancement strategies
- Transition to Open Access
- Public relations and communications consulting
International Outreach
“Few submissions from overseas.”
“International researchers are not reading our journal.”
For English-language journals, strengthening international outreach is essential—yet this is precisely where many journals struggle.
Seekl supports the enhancement of your global visibility by combining a range of strategies tailored to your budget and objectives.
Support includes:
- Public relations and communications consulting
- Submission growth strategies (workflow optimization, policy improvement, journal website enhancement)
- Digitization and transition to Open Access
- English editing, translation, and multilingual publishing services
- Implementation of the ScholarOne Manuscripts submission and peer-review system
Indexing in International Databases
Being indexed in major international databases—such as PubMed—has a tremendous impact on an author’s motivation to submit to a journal.
It is not uncommon for a journal’s annual submissions to double simply by being accepted into a single major database.
At the same time, many journals are removed from these databases each year because they fail to maintain the required standards.
Seekl provides not only consulting to support successful indexing, but also guidance to ensure that already-indexed journals remain in good standing and are not delisted.
Support includes:
- PMC indexing
- ESCI indexing
- Scopus indexing
- DOAJ indexing
- Strategies for maintaining database eligibility